Muhammad al-Khalili
- Died
- 1147 AH
- Born in
- Hebron
Muhammad al-Khalili (d. 1147 AH / 1734 CE) was a Palestinian Shafi'i jurist, legal theorist, and hadith scholar who resided in Jerusalem, widely recognized for his legal responsa compiled in Fatawi al-Khalili ala al-madhhab al-Shafii.
Background and Early Life
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sharaf al-Din al-Khalili was born in Hebron (al-Khalil), Palestine, and belonged to the Sobb Laban family. In his youth, he engaged in commercial work to earn a livelihood. He was subsequently encouraged to pursue religious learning by his teacher Husayn al-Ghazali and guided by Shams al-Din al-Qaysi, which prompted his journey to Cairo.
Education and Career
In Cairo, al-Khalili enrolled at al-Azhar Mosque, where he studied Quranic exegesis (tafsir), hadith, jurisprudence (fiqh), legal theory (usul), and Quranic recitations (qira'at) under prominent Egyptian scholars. After receiving comprehensive teaching licenses (ijazat) from his instructors, he returned to the Levant and traveled across the region before settling in Jerusalem in 1104 AH. A biographical account reports that his relocation to Jerusalem followed a vision or permission attributed to al-Khidr. In Jerusalem, he founded the al-Khaliliya Library (al-Maktaba al-Khaliliyya).
Al-Khalili combined his scholarly pursuits, preaching, and fatwa issuance with commercial enterprise. During a visit to Damascus, he stayed near the Umayyad Mosque at the house of Muhammad al-Dakdakji and held a well-attended teaching circle in the mosque's courtyard near the Kallasa between the sunset and evening prayers.
Affiliations and Standing
Al-Khalili adhered to the Shafi'i school of Islamic law, the Ash'ari school of theology, and the Qadiriyya Sufi order. He also bore the honorific title Shams al-Din and the kunya Abu al-Wafa'. Biographers characterized him as a revered scholar whose supplications were answered, and who was held in high regard by local notables and Bedouins alike.
Among those who transmitted from him or received his certification was the Damascene chronicler Ibn Kinan, who presented several of his treatises to al-Khalili and received written licenses for them. Al-Khalili also instructed Abd al-Mu'ti al-Khalili and, alongside the people of Jerusalem, urged him to assume the Shafi'i muftiship of the city. In addition to his responsa collection, his writings include Thabt al-Khalili, documenting his chains of transmission, and a treatise titled Fakhr al-abrar fi ba'd ma fi ismihi Muhammad min al-asrar.
Death
Al-Khalili died in mid-Jumada al-Thaniyah 1147 AH (1734 CE) on a Thursday night. One source states that he died in Hebron, while others record that he resided in Jerusalem until his death.
Answer updated
List of Works
Fatawi al-Khalili ala al-madhhab al-Shafii (Legal Rulings of al-Khalili According to the Shafi'i School) is a collection of Islamic legal opinions and responsa according to the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence. The work compiles practical cases, real-life legal incidents, complex sub-branches of law, and general religious inquiries, arranged systematically according to subject matter and standard jurisprudence manuals.